Very low:( ALS fear. Giving up.

[Gary A]

You don't have ALS, you have absolutely no reason whatsoever to think that you do.

If you ask again you're simply wallowing in the anxiety. Brand it on to your brain and stop repeatedly asking about a condition that you simply do not have.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Are there any serious lifters at your gym? If so, ask them how many years they have spent trying to achieve muscle symmetry. How many years trying to eliminate strength imbalances and weaknesses that hold them back.

Ask the PT's. Read a bodybuilding mag. See the posts on bodybuilding.com.

They talk about it all the time.

You are taking normality and distorting it into something that should be scary. Do I have imbalances of strength & symmetry in my body? Yes, since birth, like probably anyone who hasn't been cloned to be a perfect human being.

I don't mean chase reassurance when I say ask them. What I mean is if you asked them rather than us I bet money on how much longer they would spend complaining about the work to make themselves more perfect. Serious bodybuilding, as in competitive, it's not just judged on size, muscle symmetry is an important criteria.

[Ljthompson10]

Thankyou guys.

I'm fine with that now. But I can't stop swallowing now I've put my mind on it and I feel as if I have excess saliva. I swallow like every 15 seconds and my throat feels very very tight and sometimes I feel as if it is going to close in. Is this common in anxiety aswell guys?

[Gary A]

You feel like this because you're focusing on swallowing. If everyone focused their attention fully on swallowing, we would all feel a difficulty.

Stop this.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Yep, it's very common.

There is even an OCD theme that covers it, not that I think you have that theme at all since it would have dominated any of your other worries by a mile.

So, it's about being sensitised. Try to distract yourself with activities that gone on for a time so that you are engaged in something that takes your mind away from symptoms.

[Ljthompson10]

Yep, it's very common.

There is even an OCD theme that covers it, not that I think you have that theme at all since it would have dominated any of your other worries by a mile.

So, it's about being sensitised. Try to distract yourself with activities that gone on for a time so that you are engaged in something that takes your mind away from symptoms.

I occasionally feel like my throat is tightening up and it makes me feel gaggy and sicky. It's horrible. But I'll take it his is common aswell?

I have heard ALS is about failing not feeling.

[Gary A]

ALS is a horrific debilitating illness. As you've been told, you really wouldn't be asking these questions if you really did have it, you'd be at the doctors getting put through a barrage of tests.

ALS is not in any way subtle, please try to understand that.

[MyNameIsTerry]

I occasionally feel like my throat is tightening up and it makes me feel gaggy and sicky. It's horrible. But I'll take it his is common aswell?

I have heard ALS is about failing not feeling.

The best thing to do would be to prepare yourself for anxiety, by which I mean read the symptoms articles. It will answer your questions like this. It's not fully comprehensive, there will be things not on the list that you will find elsewhere across the internet on anxiety support sites.

Anxiety causes tons of symptoms, things you wouldn't believe and to a level you would never believe unless you read case histories of more extreme sufferers. Many of the symptoms overlap with so many other actual physical disorders or conditions and this is where a lot of HA sufferers tend to come unstuck.

For instance, any cancer site will tell you fatigue is connected. But then wouldn't you expect fatigue with anything that makes you feel so unwell? Fatigue and mental health disorders go hand in hand. But the HA sufferer zooms in on symptoms they have, so to diagnose with scary problem X, but doesn't look at the criteria to realise they don't have the others that would also be expected. That's why doctors work through symptoms, they also look for ones that you have that don't fit the diagnosis either and this brings them to the real problem. HA people struggle maintaining this level of objectivity.

[Ljthompson10]

The best thing to do would be to prepare yourself for anxiety, by which I mean read the symptoms articles. It will answer your questions like this. It's not fully comprehensive, there will be things not on the list that you will find elsewhere across the internet on anxiety support sites.

Anxiety causes tons of symptoms, things you wouldn't believe and to a level you would never believe unless you read case histories of more extreme sufferers. Many of the symptoms overlap with so many other actual physical disorders or conditions and this is where a lot of HA sufferers tend to come unstuck.

For instance, any cancer site will tell you fatigue is connected. But then wouldn't you expect fatigue with anything that makes you feel so unwell? Fatigue and mental health disorders go hand in hand. But the HA sufferer zooms in on symptoms they have, so to diagnose with scary problem X, but doesn't look at the criteria to realise they don't have the others that would also be expected. That's why doctors work through symptoms, they also look for ones that you have that don't fit the diagnosis either and this brings them to the real problem. HA people struggle maintaining this level of objectivity.

Yeah it's just the ALS symptoms are so vague but I just if I had it I wouldn't be questioning it.

[Colicab85]

ALS symptoms are not vague.

I had a very close friend who was diagnosed last summer because his fingers on his right hand stopped working. He deteriorated massively within a space of 2 months to the point he couldn't walk.

He was put on a breathing machine in February this year, 8 months after diagnosis. Does this sound subtle?

He died just under 2 months ago from pneumonia because his lungs didn't work anymore.

I'm not saying this to scare you further, this is how UNSUBTLE ALS is. You don't question.